How to eat healthy without spending more money

San said:
As said, I am not drinking tap water. I do drink tea, but a bottle of soda is about 20 p here, so hardly costing an arm and a leg. And I am not talking about fast food, I am talking about junk food, two totally different things. Give me ten pound - I can either get some chicken breast or fish, salads and the likes, or I can get pasta, cheese, minced beef, breaded burgers, baked beans and so on. The healthy option will last me two days, just for myself, the other stuff will last a week for all of us.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I like the junk food, or prefer to buy it, but just saying that healthy food is cheaper is plain wrong.

And well, if you have all the time in the world that is great, but I have an autistic stepson who needs 24 hour care and a husband who sits on his arse in front of the computer all day. So.....if it is not quick and easy, it's simply not an option for me. I don't have the time to stand in the kitchen for prolonged times, and honestly, after running after the rest of the family and working my arse off, I can't be bothered to stand in the kitchen at 11 pm, washing my lettuce. Erhm....nope.

So, if you have the time and money, healthy eating certainly is easy. If not, you're screwed, because there just doesn't seem to be a happy medium. :(
Click to expand...

Please forgive me, but I hear stuff like this on a daily basis. Excuse, excuse, excuse. I have two children, one of whom has a disease (not naming it), a personal training business to run 7 days a week, another job, and a marriage. I'm up at 4AM every morning and I don't stop until midnight. Wash, rinse and repeat.

I have a lot of respect for you as a human being for being a devoted mother, but you don't seem to be an advocate for trying to find a way to even humor us with some of this. Instead, your negative responses pretty much state that you're a proponent of the way you are and that's the way it's going to be. Now, if that's what you want, then fine. Otherwise, WISE UP. You can change your lifestyle if you want to-- money or not.

Are you kidding me? Your husband wants quick and easy and that's your excuse? I've heard worse excuses from my 3 year old when I ask her why she doesn't clean her room. Do you two split the care of your son?

My point is, I'm constantly being pulled several different directions. I eat healthy and so does my family. Guess what? Our grocery bill has not grown AT ALL when we made the full switch. I was spending 160 a week when we weren't eating healthy and I spend 160 a week now. I don't have the time to eat healthy as well, but I do. There are quick meals. Last I heard, a banana doesn't need to be cooked.
 
Doc Bunkum said:
It's nice to see that you read San's post and sympathize with her situation.
Click to expand...

I've heard 'em all, skippy. I'm blunt-- deal.
 
San said:
Now here's a question - I have a 9 year old stepson who will only eat certain foods because he's autistic. Anything that is not breaded and fried, he won't touch. So that stuff has to be in the house at all times.(
Click to expand...

If it seemed like I was ignoring this part of your post, it was because I don't have any idea what to suggest. It is far out of my range of experience. I'm not ignoring this aspect of your situation, I just don't know what to say about it.
 
PTJustinBowers said:
I dispense information on here (as do you) with the assumption that most of you, being on a weight loss forum, have some prior nutrition/weight loss knowledge.
Click to expand...

Sometimes you have to assume your audience knows nothing and you need to explain things.

Like i said to Blantica, I'm saying it sounds rediculous to eat meals high in fat. It just sounds wrong. Do you have any articles, links or the such. Also, give me an example of a meal high in fat. I'd like to read up on it.
 
usedtobefatmatt said:
Sometimes you have to assume your audience knows nothing and you need to explain things.

Like i said to Blantica, I'm saying it sounds rediculous to eat meals high in fat. It just sounds wrong. Do you have any articles, links or the such. Also, give me an example of a meal high in fat. I'd like to read up on it.
Click to expand...

Here's a decent article

Also, I agree with you. I accept the blame there.. LOL
 
Last edited:
PTJustinBowers said:
Here's a decent article

Also, I agree with you. I accept the blame there.. LOL
Click to expand...

No where does it day you should eat meals high in fat. This is from the link at the bottom of your link:

DON'T overindulge in any fat
A diet high in total (saturated and unsaturated) fat possibly increases the risk of lung, colorectal, breast and prostate cancers and is linked to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Diets high in fat are usually higher in calories, which can lead to obesity. In this way, fat is an indirect risk factor for diseases linked with excessive weight, including cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. So, while you shouldn't eliminate all fat from your diet, be moderate in your consumption. AICR recommends getting between 15% and 30% of calories from fat. For a person eating about 2000 calories per day, that means eating between 33 and 67 grams of fat.

Just like everyone agree with fats in our diet: yes. Meals high in fat: no.
 
Seems someone has been doing a Google search for "Justin Bowers Certified Fitness Professional" that lives in Canada, huh Doc? Thanks for visiting my websites.
 
usedtobefatmatt said:
No where does it day you should eat meals high in fat. This is from the link at the bottom of your link:

DON'T overindulge in any fat
A diet high in total (saturated and unsaturated) fat possibly increases the risk of lung, colorectal, breast and prostate cancers and is linked to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Diets high in fat are usually higher in calories, which can lead to obesity. In this way, fat is an indirect risk factor for diseases linked with excessive weight, including cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. So, while you shouldn't eliminate all fat from your diet, be moderate in your consumption. AICR recommends getting between 15% and 30% of calories from fat. For a person eating about 2000 calories per day, that means eating between 33 and 67 grams of fat.

Just like everyone agree with fats in our diet: yes. Meals high in fat: no.
Click to expand...

Jesus, do you realize that I've read this thread half a dozen times, wondering why everyone was suggesting that I condoned eating meals high in fat?

Because it's what I typed. This entire time, I didn't catch that. I just read the O.P. and, wow. No wonder I sounded loopy and contradicting when I was defending myself with exactly the opposite of what I suggested. Obviously, that's being changed immediately and please accept any apologies for misleading.
 
PTJustinBowers said:
Seems someone has been doing a Google search for "Justin Bowers Certified Fitness Professional" that lives in Canada, huh Doc? Thanks for visiting my websites.
Click to expand...


Justin,
I'll tell you now i looked as well. I know not everyone agrees with each other and there is more than one way to see results. There is no reason people cant discuss each side. No need to take it to the next level of name calling but anyway. I read a couple of your articles and agree with some of the stuff and wish you the best of luck with your business. Online training appears to be getting popular. I guy from The Biggest Loser just started something similar.

Matt
 
usedtobefatmatt said:
Justin,
I'll tell you now i looked as well. I know not everyone agrees with each other and there is more than one way to see results. There is no reason people cant discuss each side. No need to take it to the next level of name calling but anyway. I read a couple of your articles and agree with some of the stuff and wish you the best of luck with your business. Online training appears to be getting popular. I guy from The Biggest Loser just started something similar.

Matt
Click to expand...

Thank you very much. Did I call someone a name? Where? You mean "skippy"?
 
PTJustinBowers said:
Jesus, do you realize that I've read this thread half a dozen times, wondering why everyone was suggesting that I condoned eating meals high in fat?

Because it's what I typed. This entire time, I didn't catch that. I just read the O.P. and, wow. No wonder I sounded loopy and contradicting when I was defending myself with exactly the opposite of what I suggested. Obviously, that's being changed immediately and please accept any apologies for misleading.
Click to expand...


that made me laugh.
 
usedtobefatmatt said:
that made me laugh.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I feel like a flipping idiot. Long hours and late nights have to stop!

And yeah, online personal training is growing. I'm noticing a lot of people signing up who just don't take the time to do anything, but it's a program designed for those who are already driven by the motivation, not for someone looking for someone to make them do it.

But I'm still an idiot.
 
usedtobefatmatt said:
What is a break down % of your macros? Can you list a typical day of eating?

I am having trouble believing that the highest % of your macros is coming from fat. I'm not saying it's wrong, what i am saying that it just seems wrong.

Do you have any good links or articles about the subject? I would like to read up on some of the studies.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Sorry you are having trouble believing that my highest macronutrient % comes from fat. I've tracked my calories and food on and off for years so I do happen to know exactly what I'm talking about. A typical week in my Lose It program showed 39% fat, 32% carbs, 29% protein. Its not exactly polite to suggest someone is making something up..

As for studies, I dont represent myself as a clinical researcher nor do I remember every detail of everything I've read and come across for my own personal needs, or where I found it. I do read Fitness RX regularly, which summarizes tons of studies on nutrition and weight loss. But yeah, do the research yourself and you may learn something new.
 
PTJustinBowers said:
Please forgive me, but I hear stuff like this on a daily basis. Excuse, excuse, excuse. I have two children, one of whom has a disease (not naming it), a personal training business to run 7 days a week, another job, and a marriage. I'm up at 4AM every morning and I don't stop until midnight. Wash, rinse and repeat.

I have a lot of respect for you as a human being for being a devoted mother, but you don't seem to be an advocate for trying to find a way to even humor us with some of this. Instead, your negative responses pretty much state that you're a proponent of the way you are and that's the way it's going to be. Now, if that's what you want, then fine. Otherwise, WISE UP. You can change your lifestyle if you want to-- money or not.

Are you kidding me? Your husband wants quick and easy and that's your excuse? I've heard worse excuses from my 3 year old when I ask her why she doesn't clean her room. Do you two split the care of your son?

My point is, I'm constantly being pulled several different directions. I eat healthy and so does my family. Guess what? Our grocery bill has not grown AT ALL when we made the full switch. I was spending 160 a week when we weren't eating healthy and I spend 160 a week now. I don't have the time to eat healthy as well, but I do. There are quick meals. Last I heard, a banana doesn't need to be cooked.
Click to expand...

I'm not even going to go into the bit about basically being too lazy to prepare meals. It's not worth it.

For what it's worth though, I don't give a darn what you hear every day, or from whom, or what your experience is. All I know is how it is around here.

If I would like how it is, and didn't try to change things, how do you think I lost over 100 lbs so far? By being fat and lazy, which is what you accuse me of? (In minced words, of course, but let's face it, that is what it comes down to.)

It seems all sunshine and puppies in your family, which is great for you. In mine it isn't. I can't make a full switch, I have to buy my healther options ON TOP of the other stuff. And no, my husbands food choices aren't an excuse, they are an attempt to explain where the problems stem from. But you don't care, do you, because in your perfect little world, everybody loves salad.

Guess what, a lot of people don't.

To answer your question, no, we don't share the care of my stepson, I do that on my own. I do the household, the kid, the job search, juggling the money, caring for his 81 year old mother and my alcoholic sister-in-law. He sits in front of a computer. And I never hear the end of it if the food he wants is not in the house.

So, anything I want to buy for myself, would only be for myself. My stepson doesn't touch fruit. My husband doesn't touch fruit. If I buy it, it's solely for myself, on top of the bill. THAT is where the money problem comes from. And the time problem.

If you manage to live on 4 hours of sleep per night, great for you. I don't. So yes, my time is limited, and so is my patience.

I AM trying to live healthier, and I AM trying to change the way things are. All I was trying to point out was that it's not as easy as YOU make it sound.

But hey, you probably don't give a damn. Guess with your shiny personal trainer certificate (you can do this online over here, costs about $ 300), you don't know how it is to struggle with $ 30 per week for a family of three. Lucky you.
 
Cord the Seeker said:
Well, it is certainly true that I don't know how much food costs in the UK.

Regarding junk food - we probably have a communication/undertsanding problem here. I don't consider pasta, cheese, or ground beef to be junk food. There is nothing wrong with any of those, used in moderation. I do agree that breaded burgers and baked beans likely do qualify, though.
What I don't get is why healthier food takes so much longer to prepare. You just have to plan ahead. While the pasta is cooking (and cooking it al dente makes it a bit healthier, btw), you can chop up and steam some veggies. Throw the veggies and pasta together with a little olive oil and red wine vinegar and presto - a nice pasta primavera. It is one of the easiest and tastiest things my wife makes; well, I make it too but it was my wife who started making it.
Try making some things in advance. If washing lettuce is so time-consuming (only takes me a minute), wash a bunch at once and put it back in the refrigerator to use as needed. Beans usually take a while to cook so cook a bunch at once (and they can just sit on the stove cooking while you do other tasks) and store them, ready to heat and eat when needed.

Just a couple of suggestions that may help.
I'm not saying for one second that your life isn't busy with the child care and all, but I find it difficult to believe that you can't eat better, and quickly, with a little planning.

And although this is merely my personal opinion, your husband should get off his arse and help out, don't you think?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions.

I try to prepare my own food while making some for the others. It's not as if I don't eat salads or stuff like that, just not as often as I would like to.

I don't eat pasta though, I have lived of mainly sandwiches and just pieces of chicken or beef and canned/frozen vegetables in the last 3 months or so. I make the meat once a week and stick it in the freezer, then defrost small portions, and the veggies go in the microwave.

Also, for me salad is just different kinds of greens, no oil or vinegar or anything like that. Can't stomach the taste of salad sauce or stuff like that. And I don't eat beans, or any other legumes because they give me stomach cramps and well...it's not nice for the people around me, if you catch my drift. So, I'm limited in what I can eat.
But I'm trying, preparing stuff and putting it into small portions and whatnot. It just doesn't always work.

As for my husband...I totally agree. He should get off his arse. It's his son I'm caring for, his mother, his sister. The sad truth is, he doesn't. He quit a well paid job as a teacher last November, and since then, hasn't lifted a finger. I'm at a point where I'm seriously considering more drastic measures to get him to realise that it can't go on like this, but it's easier said than done.
 
usedtobefatmatt said:
What is a break down % of your macros? Can you list a typical day of eating?

I am having trouble believing that the highest % of your macros is coming from fat. I'm not saying it's wrong, what i am saying that it just seems wrong.

Do you have any good links or articles about the subject? I would like to read up on some of the studies.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Here's some pertinent information from Muscle & Fitness hers Mar/Apr 2009 issue:

"We've all had the message that fatty foods increase your risk of cardiovascular diseased, but research shows saturated fats don't have as much of an effect on health when eaten in place of carbs. A review of research published in the journal of Nutrition & Metabolism in 2005 revealed that limiting carbs and replacing them with any tyupe of fat -- even the so-called "bad" saturated variety -- resulted in both lower trigleyceride levels and an increase in "good" HDL cholesterol. In fact, saturated fat elevated the HDL cholesterol more than unsaturated fat did. The review also found that the major type of sat fat in beef, chicken and pork doesn't raise "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.

In case you're still worried about eating red meat, other data support its safety. Researchers at the University of Western Australia School of Medicine (Perth) increased subjects' red-meat consumption for eight weeks and compared their markers of oxidative stress and inflammation, two signals of heart disease, to those who maintained normal diets. No difference was seen in the markers but subjects who ate more red meat had LOWER levels of C-reactive protein, a powerful inflammatory factor that's closely linked to heart disease. It appears, then, that replacing at least some carbohydrate calories with fat can make you healthier."
 
usedtobefatmatt said:
I never suggested you were making something up. I was saying that it doesn't sound right from a diet aspect, that is all.
Click to expand...

I just dont get why it doesn't sound right. I've noticed eating like this ever since I started tracking my calories on fitday years ago now. Lots of carbs fuel my appetite, make me eat a lot, and then make me hungry shortly thereafter. The only way to stop that when I'm getting too out of hand is to cut the carbs down (not out) and eat more fatty foods that fill me up but dont fuel my appetite. I also drink whey protein, but fat has the most filling effect on me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top